Climate change study 'alarming'

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Australians should expect higher temperatures, more droughts,
severe cyclones and storm surges as a result of inevitable climate
change, a new report says.

The findings of the Climate Change, Risk and
Vulnerability report could be regarded as alarming but the
changes would take place over time, Environment Minister Ian
Campbell said.

Even if greenhouse gas emissions could be miraculously halted
tomorrow, there would still be climate change because of the gases
already in the environment, the government-commissioned report
reveals.

With expected higher temperatures, more droughts, severe
cyclones and storm surges, the agricultural sector would have to
look to new crops and livestock that could handle the environment,
Senator Campbell said.

And it was becoming obvious there was human induced climate
change through greenhouse gas emissions.

"It could be painted as alarming but the reality is that these
changes will happen over time," Senator Campbell told ABC
radio.

"They are talking about a 30-50-year time span.

"What we need to know as a nation, what the states' governments
need to know, what the emergency services need to know, town
planners need to know is where are these risks the most likely to
occur in the short term.

"There are a whole range of things we can learn from this report
and it can help us adapt."

Senator Campbell said there were strong reasons for
comprehensive global action deal with climate change.

But he gave no indication the government had moved closer to
signing the Kyoto protocol on reducing greenhouse gas
emissions.

"What this report is telling us is even if we were able to stop
all greenhouse gas emissions going into the atmosphere through some
miraculous international agreement and inventions and so forth and
new technologies, that we are still going to have climate change
because of the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over
the last 50 years," he said.

"That is built in. There is climate change built into the system
already. we need to deal with it while we are also working
internationally to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the
future."